Pursuants
by BeastBrd
Summary: Join two partners as they chase a certain group of people. Original Characters. Title and rating may change. Please review! Makes me happy!
1. High Seas

The din of the crowd droned on and on, and nothing seemed to make it stop. Always about that, isn't it? No matter where one stood, they would always hear comments, like, "Have you seen it?" "Magnificent!" "Must have cost a fortune!" "Nothing like it!"

Dan sat there, his headache ripping him apart. Crowds made him uneasy, and their topic of choice made him even more so. The only thing that kept him from grabbing his hair and collapsing was to examine the type of place he was in. Right now, he sat in a small, secluded booth, next to a window that revealed no land for miles, just the calm, cool ocean. The benches were covered in red, stuffed leather on mahagony wood. The table was also mahagony, and the "socializing" area was carpeted with a very intricate and warm-colored design, ranging from brown to red to orange, and even some pink thrown in there. A grandoise chandelier hung from the cieling, displaying hundreds and hundreds of fake crystals, brilliantly illuminated by a few lights placed on the inside. The design that was splashed on the floor was also on the cieling, as well. The room had four pillars, in a line, long-ways down the middle. On one side of the room, tables and chairs were strategically placed, as to allow comfortable seating and ease of access to every table. On the other side, there were no tables, and a band played smooth jazz music, which people slow-danced to. Along one wall, the side that wasn't down the side of the boat, was a large bar, which served just about anything. Down the other was a number of booths, similar to his own, but larger to accomodate more people. Pokémon weren't allowed in this room, pets or no.

"Dan, uhh, you can't just sit here the entire time! You have to meet new people. Socialize a bit. Come on, it'll be fun!" came a voice that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

It was his travelling partner, Linda. She had blonde hair that only reached down to her shoulders, stood shorter than his shoulder height, about five feet and four inches, and was wearing a semi-formal dress to the occasion. What occasion, Dan didn't know. It was just another thing that Linda wanted to go to, and he would always go along. Her sad, brown eyes and her puppy-pout were enough to guilt him into going. And she knew that.

"You know that crowds make me uncomfortable. And it doesn't help that I'm on a ship, either. The pills are working alright, but I still feel a bit queasy."

Linda sighed, and said, "Alright, if you won't come on your own free will, then I guess I will just have tooooooo..."

She did the face.

The pit in his stomach grew more and more, and he didn't have the heart to hurt hers. "Fine, I'll go."

Immediately after, she smiled and offered her hand. Her smile was such a genuine one that he was reminded of the reason he went with her. He felt like she truly enjoyed every moment that she lived life. He wanted to feel that same kind of joy, and that's why he joined her.

Most people thought they were a couple, or even slightly liked each other, but that wasn't the case. They were just waiting for their own paths to emerge, to go their seperate ways.

Now, on the dance floor, Dan discovered the real reason she wanted him to leave his booth: so she could have a dance partner. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, and he instinctively did the same with her waist. It was almost awkward because she was so short. She was at that weird height where most men were unsure if they could dance regularly or not. He noticed that she kept sneaking glances over her shoulder.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." She responded too quickly for him to be comfortable.

When she looked again, he followed her line of sight. It was another couple, dancing not too far away from them, and he was wondering if this was one of her plots to hook him up with another person. He had repeatedly told her that he wasn't looking for a relationship right now, and she should just forget about trying to find him a date, but the girl she picked out didn't look to bad. She was actually very pretty. She had long, brown hair, a very alluring green dress, which was very modest, and complimented what parts of her that were exposed, her forearms and face. Her eyes weren't huge, and her smile was captivating. _Nice pick, Linda._

Even though he knew the true nature, now, he still kept quiet. He would let this one ride itself out. The only problem is, he didn't know what he was going to say, yet. Linda talking didn't help his train of thought, either.

"How do you feel about tonight?"

"Seasick. Crowd-sick. Conversation-sick. The usual."

"Are they still talking about that? It's been ages since it appeared!" She seemed to be truly confused as to why people were still talking about it after two weeks.

"Apparently, when something that huge, unknown and undetectable appears, flying over a city, it's hard to forget about. People don't want to forget about that because they don't want to go back to their normal lives just yet."

"I guess you're right. People can be stupid."

"You said it. So, have you heard anything else about where they went?"

"Well, I think they were headed to Sindona. We were closing in on them, and then they up and go somewhere else!"

"That's what usually happens. People don't like being caught. They probably knew we were coming. The question is: how?"

They both swayed with the music for a few seconds, then Linda said, "Probably by placing scouts in certain places. People we wouldn't suspect."

She didn't know it, but she had probably happened upon gold. "Linda! That's genius! We need to be sure we wouldn't go any-" he cut himself off, becoming suspicious of the woman that Linda had probably already asked for a dance for him. The people they were chasing knew what kind of women he liked, and they wouldn't pass up an opportunity to just rub it in his face. He needed to be careful around her.

"Linda. You know how much I like women like that?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah. You've told me," she replied in kind, thankfully.

"Well, I think she might be a scout, like you said."

Her eyes grew a bit, then shunk back down to look at him quizzically. "What? That's impossible. She's just another normal passenger."

"Think. That kind of girl is exactly the kind I like. It's too perfect that she happened to be in a green dress, on the exact boat that we're on, with her hair the exact way I like hair!"

"Long and straight."

"Exactly! She has hazel eyes, a pug nose, lobe-less ears, it's all to coincidental to have just happened by accident. I'm sure she's a scout."

At first, she wasn't convinced, but as he wet on, her face showed more convincing. "You're right! And I already asked for you!"

That confirmed that.

As the song came to a close, the girl had almost appeared out of nowhere. "Hey, Linda, is this the guy?" she said, as she was already eyeing her prey.

Dan was dressed in a brown polo and jeans. His hair was done up a bit, and he was clean-shaven. He stood tall, about six feet, and had a bit larger than normal hands. One wouldn't notice unless they examined them closely. His feet were normal sized, though. His eyes were hazel colored, a bit more on the brown side with a green crescent adorned the bottom. His nose was long and straight, but didn't protrude further than was necessary.

He made a mistake about her eye color; they were actually blue.

"Yeah, this is the guy. Dan, would you mind dancing with her for a bit? I need to go sit down." She seemed to have a hard time leaving him.

"Of course, I'll ance with her. She looks lovely." He was faking this act, and Linda knew it. She refused to leave until he gave her a nod that told her that he would be alright.

She gave an equally fake, yet sing-song-y: "Alright~! I guess I'll just leave you two alone, then!"

They both smiled and took gracious bows. The next song wasn't a slow song, it was more of a quick, down-town jazz. The kind that just got your blood pumping and ready to dance!

"Are you ready?" the woman asked, mischieviously.

"After one question. What's your name?"

"It's Charlotte. Let's dance!"

And with that, the two were swinging through the night. Passion filled the air, as the two spun, dipped and sailed through the air. Dan spun Charlotte by her hand, and they shuffled their feet soon after. It was a standard dance for the song. Nothing to spectacular. That's when they both realized the other was a better dance than they were putting up a front of. The dancing from that point on became more complex and flashy. Sliding through legs, spinning her horizontally, twirling, and a whole other mess of dancing. The night was starting to look up.

After the song had finished, they were stuck in their pose for a short time. They straightened themselves out, and the entire crowd started clapping. They hadn't noticed it during their dance, but the entire dance floor had cleared to give them room to show off their dancing. Immediately, at being the center of attention, Dan felt sick. It wasn't stage fright, it was just an uncomfortable feeling for him to be the show unintentionally.

"Alright, thank you! And thank you two for such wonderful dancing!" Dan cringed, and the emcee noticed. "Now, to wind down a bit, we're going to play a niiice... slooow... sooong." The band started playing when he started saying "nice".

Dan tried to get away, as he already felt sick from the crowd, and he thought the pills were starting to wear off.

He was held back by a feminine hand on his arm, accompanied by a, "Where do you think you're going?" The woman was revealed to be Charlotte.

"To go get my pills. Motion sickness."

That stumped her, and she said, "Alright, I'll be waiting for your return, then." She gave him an impish smile.

"That might not happen. I don't feel so good."

She seemed to be totally deflated, now. "Alright, can we meet tomorrow?"

Dan muttered a quick "Sure." He left the room to go back to his apartment, and then realized what he had done. He had commited to spend more time with a possible scout of his pursuants.

He resigned himself to the fate...then thought that if he didn't take his medication, he wouldn't have to spend some time with her tomorrow... then thought better of it. He needed his medication.

Shortly after he reached the stairs, Linda appeared beside him. She didn't say anything until they were a good distance from anybody in the hall. She looked around, just to be sure. "Did you say you'll spend time with her?" She whispered so quietly, Dan had trouble hearing her.

"I think so. Why?" He didn't bother to whisper.

"Because that's no good! She could be a scout..." Her voice trailed off, but she continued to mutter to herself.

"Oh, well. We'll catch them eventually, don't worry about it." They arrived at their room, and Dan went fishing for the key in his pocket.

"But-"

"Trust me. It'll be fine." He presented the key to the door, and it unlocked itself. "I'll just have to be careful around her. I can act normal until the issue of where we're going comes up. And, trust me, it will come up." Saying that seemed to convince Linda.

They entered the room, and Dan made a beeline to the bathroom, dug around in the medicine cabinet, and found his motion sickness pills. He swallowed them dry, which disgusted Linda, made his way to his bed, and fell down on it. He was still fully clothed, and on top of the sheets.

"You could at least climb under the covers and let me be decieved that you're in pyjamas."

"But that would take the fun out of it."

Linda made a disgruntled sound, got changed in the bathroom, climbed under her covers, and went to sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	2. Gathering Info

**So, I will be uploading a map link and a real picture soon, but I can't really do that with where I am right now. I need to go back home if I want to do that, because I don't have anything to do it with at my current location. Stay tuned!**

* * *

Dan woke up to the early morning sun peeking through the curtain split directly into his eyes. He rolled over, amazed that he hadn't moved a muscle through the entire night. He looked around, and noticed his alarm clock was an hour earlier than he usually woke up...five o' clock. Linda was nowhere to be found.

Since he was already up, Dan decided to take his medication and head out to the upper deck. There was nothing else to do, and he didn't feel like he could go back to sleep. When he left his room, there was a couple down the hall talking about what kind of Pokémon to get for their son's birthday party. Dan walked past, and headed to the top of the deck. He was met with a blinding light...to one side, at least.

Dan looked around for Linda. He couldn't find a trace of her on the deck. He thought he saw her a couple times, due to her hair color, but it happened to not be so.

His eyes had adjusted to the light now, and he headed towards the on-board pool on the other side of the ship. It was slightly windy, but that was hardly noticeable.

When he reached the pool, he saw Lidna. She was sitting next to Charlotte, looking uncomfortable. Dan stepped up, and said, "May I cut in, ladies?" He had to get Charlotte's attention off of Linda, because they both knew that Linda would eventually slip.

"Of course you can, Mister Dan." Charlotte was happy that he decided to come. Linda seemed relieved, as well.

"Well, if you two don't need me anymore," Linda began, "I'll just be in the dueling arena."

"Thank you, Linda. You're a big help," Dan said, trying to sound as convincing as possible, not for Linda's sake, but for the sake of fooling Charlotte.

Linda nodded, and briskly walked to the nearest staircase, leaving him alone with Charlotte. It was then he noticed she was in a swimming suit.

She looked slightly dissapointed, then asked, "So, you're not going to swim with me?"

"Not a chance. I'm not a swimmer. That's why I have Pokémon for that."

Charlotte thought for a bit, then said, "Well, let's do something else, then!"

"Like what?" Dan didn't like where this was going already.

"To the casino."

"Too young." He was only twenty.

"Alright, how about a nice meal, then?"

This looked quite suspicious. "Am I buying?"

"I offered, I'll buy."

Suspicion allieved. "Let's go."

They made their way to the same restaurant as last night. In the daytime, the restaurant allowed children, but at night, it was an adult world. They sat at the small booth where Dan sat last time, and looked at the menus that the waitress brought them.

"So," Charlotte started, catching Dan off-guard, "where did you come from?"

"Sindona. The northern part."

"I see..." She seemed to be more interested than necessary. "And where are you going?"

"To be honest, I don't know. Probably east after we dock."

"Towards Supinion city?"

"Yep." His true destination was north, but he didn't want her to know that. "So where are you going?"

"I'm going to stay on the ship. The next stop isn't mine."

"Oh, to the city of Yoma?"

"Yeah. It's where I live."

That must have been the end of that converstaion, and they continued to spend a couple hours together. She was actually a pretty genuine person, despite his continued suspicion

* * *

Dan entered the dueling arena. He looked at the bleachers, and determined that Linda was no longer there, until he saw her. He went to her and sat down beside her.

They were wordless for a few minutes, just watching Pokémon dueling.

"So, how was it?" She sounded a bit sad.

"Terrible. She kept taking me to crowded places."

That made her a bit happier. "Wanna duel?"

That made Dan smile. "Yes. Let's go!"

They both perked up, and went to register for a dueling match.

As they were walking to the booth, Linda noticed something about Dan. "Are you still wearing the clothes you wore yesterday?"

Dan looked down, and noticed he has. "Yes."

She playfully slapped his shoulder, and said, "You are so clumsy sometimes. Two-on-two match, please," she said, diverting her attention to the man at the booth.

"Certainly, one moment please." He slapped his keyboard a bit, and said, "You're in luck. There's no matches scheduled for another fifteen minutes."

"That will be enough time. Let's go, Dan."

They made their way to the arena, and selected which two Pokémon they would use. They squared off, and released their four Pokémon. Dan chose Typhlosion and Jolteon, whereas Linda chose Feraligatr and Slaking.

"This is going to be an interesting fight," Dan said, confidently.

"Indeed, it is," Linda replied in turn.

They shouted their commands, and the Pokémon lept in action.

* * *

The ship was nearing docking, after a week of traveling on the boat. Dan's pills had run out a day too early, and he was itching to get off and buy more for the next voyage. If he could get off, that is. Linda could help him, but he didn't want to vomit all over her... maybe... no, that's not right.

Luckily, Linda offered to help him. She planned to drop him when he needed to vomit, however.

Great.

"You know... you don't have to-mmm-... help me." He almost threw up on her.

"Don't be so modest, it's what friends are for! I'll bring a spare bottle next time." She was being extremely helpful, even though he knew she wouldn't remember to have a spare bottle. He'd buy it and slip it into her bag.

"Thank you. I'd be a wreck without you," he said, trying to sound convincing.

"No problem." It worked.

They disembarked at the port-town, Mips, and waited for all the passengers to make their way to and fro the boat.

"Why are we waiting?"

"I'm making sure Charlotte is really going to Yoma. If I see her get on the boat, we'll wait until it leaves. I haven't seen her get off, though."

They waited, and, seeing no sign of Charlotte, they headed north towards Sindona. The five-day journey was fairly uneventful, only helping one person who seemed to be struggling on the side of the road, and made good time, as they arrived a day early.

"Ohhh, I'm tired! Can we get a room?" Linda complained.

"Yes, after we find out where they could have gone. They could still have gone here, but that's unlikely."

Linda pouted a bit, but it wasn't the full power of her pout. She knew how to control it.

They stopped at a few taverns, asking the bartender if he had seen anybody with a scarlet scarf, trimmed with golden threads. None of them knew anything about it, except for the last one. Which was good, because they were starting to give up hope.

"Did they tell you where they were going? Or did you even hear?"

"Yes, actually. I think they said they were headed west along the coast to Limba. You'd have to hurry if you want to catch them before they get there. They left only yesterday."

"Sir, are you sure? This could mean everything." He only said that to make sure that the bartender was giving him the right information.

The bartender looked into his eyes, and he was using his resolute face, one that was not taken lightly even by the mightiest of men.

"Yessir."

"Okay! Linda, let's head west!"

And with that, they headed out of the city to pursue their targets.

"What a shame... I wanted a room..."


	3. Catching Up

**I'll draw the cover probably Friday, if not Thursday, and I'll update it as soon as possible! I'm just a bit backed up with Christmas! Sorry to disappoint! Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

* * *

The pair traveled through the night, with the sweet promise of their prize in sight. They hadn't a moment to spare, and even Linda got into it. They almost had them.

"What if we catch them tonight?" Linda asked, with excitement in her voice.

Dan looked at her, a face completely covered in a blue layer: the shade of night. He thought she looked quite pretty under this lighting, and there was even a lake nearby.

"Then, our journey is over. We can go back to our lives in solitude, and we'll probably never see each other again."

Even as he said that, he knew the last part was a mistake.

"Don't say that! Do you know how sad that makes me? I can't begin to think about that! I couldn't lose contact with you!"

Dan found himself caught off-guard. He had no response for her sudden, yet quiet, outburst, and was thankful for the campfire they saw in the distance.

"Okay, I'll go around the left, and you go right. We'll jump in with our Pokémon, and we'll take them down. Understood?"

"Roger!" She put her hand to her forehead in a salute.

"Okay! Let's go."

They headed off to their destinations. Instead of attacking from either side, they met up at the back. They were sure that their pursuants had placed sentry Pokémon to alert them and tell them what the pair was planning at the moment, so they would be surprised.

Dan released an Aipom and an Absol, whereas Linda released Croconaw and Delcatty.

"Aipom, tickle 'em! Absol, use leer!"

"Croconaw, spray them with water gun, and Meowers, use double slap!"

Their fake plan seemed to work, as they were prepared for attacks from either side, but not from the back, so they were easily-

"Pidgeot! Blow 'em away!" came a voice from behind them, booming over all the action. Before their Pokémon reached the other trainers, a flying Pokémon came and screwed up their perfect plan. Dan hadn't prepared for this, he didn't know what to do, and before he could freak out about it, he was blown away.

Now, they lay there, limp and defeated.

"Aaahhhh, ya got me!" cried Dan, over-dramatically.

"Ooohh, noooo, I'm DEEEAAAAAAD!" Linda cried, in much the same way.

The campers had a good laugh, and Dan and Linda joined in shortly after faking death.

Dan got up, walked over to them, and greeted them with, "So, how goes it?"

The man he spoke to, Warren, replied with, "Pretty interesting. We got to slip away for a bit longer than we expected, though. It was fun, either way." Dan took another look at him, to examine how much he had changed. Thankfully, the only difference to be seen right away was the scarf, scarlet trimmed with golden threads. The rest of him, from his shabby brown cargo pants and an equally shabby brown t-shirt, to his scruffy and slightly unshaven face, was virtually the same.

Dan looked at the other two, Caroline and Miles, and noticed that they looked a bit different, but it could have been the lighting. They were standing in near darkness.

"Well, this was fun," Linda said, "but I'm extremely tired and would _loove_ to get some sleep. I hope you three can oblige with your _fiiinesst _rooms?"

Miles took one look at her, and said, "The finest rooms we got are under the stars, lady. Take it, or leave it."

She seemed to be unhappy with that revelation, and said, "If that's the finest, you can have it. I'll take your room."

That got a small smile from him, and said, "Damn, you've bested me. Go ahead."

Her smile of victory and satisfaction was infectious, and Dan found himself smiling shortly after. "You ready, partner in crime?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"You know it. I'll join you in a bit."

She smiled, waved, and headed to their new room. Dan needed to catch up with Warren and Caroline. Miles and Linda would keep themselves entertained, he hoped. They moseyed over to the fire pit and sat in the chairs. Some crickets chirped in the distance, and the moon shone on the lake across the road so beautifully. The atmosphere of this location was very...calming.

"So, any news on that..." Dan started.

"'Flying Circus'?" Caroline cut in. "Yes, there's been news everywhere. None of it seemed plausible, however." Dan got to get a good look at her, now that she was in the firelight. She sat with her elbow on her knee, her fist supporting her chin. She had long, straight black hair that fell down and softly curved around her legs and down her back. She wore black jeans and a black flannel shirt. Her belt was red leather, and the buckle was silver. Her eyes were big and dark, even in the middle of the day.

"But, there was this one theory," Warren added. "Basically, the man described it as a kind of test for people who like to try their luck and skill. Kind of like playing Texas hold 'em and your life is the chips. That's how I understood it."

"So, do you think we should put our time into this?"

"Doesn't seem like a bad idea. I think there's some kind of reward at the end, if you win. He said the chances are higher if you have multiple people."

"I still don't think we should waste our time here." Caroline didn't seem to be interested in the place. "It's a circus that floats. Nothing worth investigating here."

"What do we need to do to convince you to come with us?" Dan was still unsure if he wanted to go or not, but he asked anyways.

Caroline looked slightly uncomfortable, like she knew where this was going.

"Miles~! Come here~!" Warren called in an effeminate style. They heard "Yes!" from Linda, and the two showed up on the spot.

"You know what's about to happen, don't you?"

"It could get me to go and it couldn't, but you guys will just have to try, now wontcha?" She smiled slyly.

Miles hummed a note, as he had the lowest voice, then Dan, then Warren. They made an attractive chord, and slid the chord around a few times, then started singing, in unison, "Sweeeeeet Caaaroliiiiine!" Linda chimed in with a, "Bum, bum, buuuuummmm!" "Good times never seemed so good! Iii'm iiiincliiiiined!" "Bum, bum, buuuummmm!" "To-"

"Okay, I'll go!" Caroline shouted. A victorious cheer shouted from the quartet, and Caroline blushed ever so slightly.

"Oh, Caroline," Warren sighed, "we can get you to do any stupid thing we want, huh?"

Caroline resorted to pouting, but her's just didn't get to any of them. Only Linda's did.

"Oh, by the way, Linda." Linda looked at Dan. "We're going to investigate the 'Flying Circus'."

She seemed a bit...well, he didn't know what she felt about this, she seemed a bit confused, a bit put out and a bit excited.

"Okay, well, I'll just go to bed, then. Dan, come on."

"I'm almost done. I'll be right there."

She was considering pouting, he could tell, but she decided against it. A small one off guard would do, though. Dan's heart pinched a bit. "See you when you get there.

"That was a gutsy move, Dan," Caroline said. "She totally wanted you to go."

"I know," Dan said weakly, "but I have to catch up with Miles. So, I'll see you two tomorrow. And how did you know to set up two tents, Warren?"

"That? Just a small trick." He winked.

"It was the woman on the ship, huh?"

Warren was surprised. "How did you know?"

"Linda actually figured it out, to be honest. I just thought I put up a good enough act. I guess she figured it out."

"Yeah, I gave her some signs to look for."

"So, how much did you pay her?"

Warren smiled, and said, "Let's keep that a secret. I'll never-"

"Fifty bucks."

"Yeah..."

Dan chuckled a bit, and said, "Well, I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Dan," the two said in unison.


	4. Gathering More Info

Dan walked into the tent, and discovered that Linda was still awake. She wasn't startled by his entry, nor did she even acknowledge it. Dan knew what was wrong; he knew before she even said anything. Her eyes glistened in the weak light of the lantern, lit on the ground between their sleeping bags. A small, sparkling drop of forlornness dripped down her face.

That moment, seeing her so small and fragile, crushed his heart. This moment rarely happened, but every time it did happen Dan always felt so helpless. He felt like he could do nothing to ease her heart, and, in effect, do little to change anything. He walked to her and sat down beside her.

"Linda." She didn't move or react in any way. "I'm so sorry. It hurts me to see you so... distant. Please... come back."

Linda was still crying. Her face was still and stoic, but her eyes betrayed her true emotions. She was lost in memories and regret.

Dan put his arm around her and rested his head on hers. "There was nothing you could do, and you know that."

"I know." That was the soonest she had ever replied. Even through the gulf of pain and misery, his heart felt a shred of happiness, but it was smothered almost immediately.

She was beginning to come to terms.

"Linda. Stop. Don't think about it anymore. It's okay. Look at me." Dan took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. She put up a bit of resistance, but she looked at him. "It's okay. No more."

"But... but, I could have... I could have saved him..." He was loosing her.

"Linda! Stop. It's in the past. Don't think about it." Dan was holding her by the shoulders a bit forcefully. "No more. He's gone. Nothing you could have done would have saved him. Nothing I could have done would have saved him. Despite how powerful we make ourselves out to be, we're still powerless."

Her eyes were devastating to look at, but he had to be strong for her. "I know, I miss him, too, but we have to be strong for him. We can't lose ourselves."

Now, her face was twisted with pain, perhaps a bit of acceptance. Her head bowed, and Dan pulled her in for a hug. She cried into his chest for what seemed an eternity.

Eventually, however, she did stop crying. She simply stayed close to her childhood friend, hugging him.

"Dan?" His ears perked up at his name. "Thank you for never giving up on me. You have always been there for me. I..." She paused.

"You what?" Dan was curious.

"I... I don't ever want to lose you."

Hearing that made his heart race, and he didn't know why. She must have noticed, because she started to stutter and became flustered.

"Ah! N-no, I-i-i didn't mean it that-"

"Don't worry, I know what you meant." No, he didn't.

She was calmed by that simple statement, and she resumed hugging him.

After a while, Dan gingerly asked, "Linda? Linda." No response. She had fallen asleep.

Typical Linda.

He gingerly layed her down on her sleeping bag, and pulled the covers over them. Soon afterwards, he climbed into his own, and fell asleep.

* * *

Dan was in a beautiful, peaceful field. The grand mountains in the distance, the expanding azure sky, the puffy, white clouds, the soft, green grass, some lilting birds in the distance, the wildflowers that gave the green hills personality spotted here and there, with blues and reds and purples and yellows. Dan ran around, basking in the warm sunlight. He loved living life. He felt truly happy in that moment. Music was playing from nowhere, but he didn't care. He was happy.

His arms were spread, and he spun. It was a beautiful spring day, and there was not a single care in the world for him right in that moment.

The world was a truly beautiful place.

Then, something happened. A cloud, dark as night. It started to invade his happiness. HIS happiness!

Before he could react, a bolt of lightning struck the ground. The grass flared up immediately. He tried his best to put it out, releasing all his water-type Pokémon, only to realize he didn't have them with him. He stomped on the flames, but they spread far too quickly for him to do any good. He tried and tried and tried his best to stop them, but they were too stubborn.

Despite his best efforts, the field became a raging inferno. He tried running, but it was only a sea of flames. He felt hot, humid, unhydrated. He sweat uncontrollably. He wanted to just rid himself of the feeling of heat.

Dan fell over and hit his head on the ground. Which also happened to be the exact spot a rock rested underneath. His temple ached from the collision. Rubbing his head, he looked around. There was no field. There was no fire. There was a mountain, it was just blankets. Piled on top of him. He only fell asleep with one sleeping bag and his clothes.

That's the reason it was so hot.

He looked around, hoping to find somebody he could balme for it. Seeing nobody, he left the tent. That's when he saw someone peeking in.

He made no notion that he saw them. Instead, he went about his business, looking for clothes to wear, taking his medications, but not really. All of a sudden, he turned and ran for the person watching, who became startled and started running away.

"Get back here, Warren!" Dan shouted as he burst out of the tent.

He chased warren only for a short time, then he jumped and tackled him to the ground.

"How many times do I have to say, don't do that?" Dan was frustrated with him.

"Which dream did I ruin this time?" He was purposefully prodding him.

"I didn't have one."

"Liar! Tell me!" He seemed to be genuinely interested... but, then again, he was a good actor.

"I seriously didn't have one."

Dan got up and allowed him to get up.

"Dangit. No new dream tonight. Whatever, we need to get ready and find that 'Floating Circus'."

"Agreed. Oh, by the way, Warren. Are you and Caroline...?"

"Yes." He confirmed it.

"Really? That's amazing! Good for you!"

"Yep, we've been friends for a long time, now. I thought you knew."

Dan went from happy to frustrated in one instant. "I hate you."

"I love you."

"So, when are you going to confess?"

"When the time is right. A man can't rush these things."

"That's true. Let's head out."

And so, they spent the rest of the morning packing up the campsite.

* * *

The group of five headed to the last known place of the flying circus, Sindona City. It was bustling with conversation about the Flying Circus. Dan asked around for where it went, or how he could find it, and one young man kindly relinquished information.

"You can find out everything you want to know about it on the internet." Ew. The internet didn't bode well with Dan.

"Do they put up posters or hand around flyers or anything?" Was there another way?

"Not that I know. It wouldn't really work all that well, I hear. The wind doesn't cooperate all the time."

"I see. So...they can...update on the spot on the internet, huh?"

"Yeah. That's how it usually works."

Gross. "Thank you, sir. Your help was invaluable to us." He must have been very confused, because Dan was alone when he spoke to him.

Dan walked back, calling the others to tell them to meet up at the spot. When they all arrived, he announced, "We'll have to use the internet."

They all knew how much Dan hated the internet. His mind was easy to confuse when it came to technology; it was a miracle that he was able to comprehend the cell phone.

"Alright, let's go to a library, then," Caroline offered. Nobody objected.

They walked through the streets and searched all around. With no luck in finding the library, they asked for directions: it happened to be a block over from where they were.

They entered, and Dan broke off from the group to read books while they used the...things. Computins? Simputors? The name was irrelevant. He headed to the fantasy section.

Pulling a random book from the shelf, he searched for a nice place to sit and read. He spotted a fluffy-looking beanbag in the corner, and made his way there. He flopped into it, cracked the book and started reading.

The book he picked out started with a man who found some "snakevine". It bit him, then the man spotted a woman in the woods being chased by a couple of men. After saving her, she revealed that she needed to find the "first wizard" in order to save her land, and that's why she had travelled across the "border", which was apparently visible from everywhere in Westland. They travelled to the man's best friend's house,who was an elderly man, and he was able to heal him of his snakevine bite. Soon after, he called him out as the first wizard, and then the old man gave him the-

"Are you ready, Dan?" a woman asked.

He looked up from the starkly contrasted black and white pages, and saw Linda. "Yeah, let's go." He got up, looked at the title, and told himself he had to remember the name.

They left the library, and Dan asked, "So, what's up with the circus?"

"It appears to be headed to Intarga, now. It could change, we need to keep a close eye on it by stopping at every town and checking its location."

"Alright, to Intarga!... Let's get some bikes."


	5. Interrupted

As the team of five pedaled along, Dan looked about at the sky. Its large, open, blue atmosphere distracted him for a second, and he almost ran into a couple walking along. He waved cheerfully at them, then continued on. It was a truly beautiful day, and Dan was happy to be alive.

They were about halfway to the target city, and the circus hadn't changed directions, thankfully.

"So, what's on everybody's mind?" Caroline asked.

"Food," was Warren's response.

"The feeling of the wind in my hair," shouted Miles.

"I'm just wondering why the sky is blue. It always mystifies me." Dan was sincere in his comment.

"How great it is to have friends. I wouldn't trade you guys for food ("Horrible choice," Warren joked), the world, or anything. I love all of you." Linda was always the most open with her feelings.

"I agree with all of you." It was rare for Caroline to actually express her own feelings in words, so they had to read her body language to know what she was thinking.

She seemed happy.

"So, what's our mission plan when we actually find this circus?" Warren was the tactician. That sent everybody into brainstorming possible plans for every outcome.

"I think that... we should just wait until we stop to actually talk about that. We could be distracted and miss a turn." Everybody agreed with Miles on that one.

* * *

They arrived at the city of Miston about three hours ago. Dan and Linda were sent to buy groceries and other necessities of life, while the other three were sent to find a hotel room for the night. The closest place to buy anything concerning food was quite a distance to walk.

"So, what do you think about..." Dan couldn't find the right words.

"About what?"

"About... finding the circus. About doing what we do. Doesn't it seem like it could get monotonous? Oh, we found another... thing, wow!" He did his best stupid impression, but it didn't stray far from his regular voice.

"Well, it would be nice to do this for a while, then we could just... part ways and start families, and just... settle down."

That concept seemed alien to him.

"But... what would you do? Seems like you would have a lot of free time on your hands."

"Well, yeah, but you would get a regular job to support your family. Trust me. My family was so big, both of my parents had to get jobs."

Dan sighed a deep sigh. "Oh, alright." He thought for a minute. "When do you think we'll split up? When do you think the high from all of this will wear off? What do you think we'll do after this?"

Linda wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and said, "I don't know... but, we'll have to wait until we get there."

_Yeah. No need to fret about it now, just wait. It'll all come eventually._ "So, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

* * *

The team came upon Intarga. Thankfully, the course of the circus had never changed. The quintet of explorers could only wait until it arrived, as they were a few days early for it.

The team made chat about this and that, about their thoughts on certain things, about whatever they found interesting, but Dan had something else on his mind. He still wasn't sure that he wanted to keep doing this, or that he wanted to change what he was doing. He just... wasn't sure.

No matter how much or how hard he thought about it, he just didn't know. He felt like... the uncertain was creeping up on him, and he could do nothing to stop it. He was powerless. He was losing control. His world would be crumbling. He would be lost.

"What's wrong?" came a comforting voice. A hand was resting on his shoulder, and he knew it was Linda.

Dan turned to face her, and realized the whole group was watching, worry and concern twisting and contorting their faces.

"It's... nothing, just... nothing. I'm tired. I had terrible nightmares last night." Dan was rubbing his face to seem tired.

Linda didn't seem to buy it, and motioned for the others to go away. They walked away to a secluded place. Tall buildings rose up to either side of them, and the alleyway was completely deserted. Not a soul would bother them.

"Is it about... the future?" Linda asked.

Now that she brought it up, he wasn't sure it was only about the future. Maybe it wasn't such a big deal what the future would hold, but that he felt like he had little control over what would happen.

Maybe... it reminded him...

"No, I think it's because of the opposite..."

Now, it was Dan's turn to cry. He rested his head on Linda's, and the most exquisite pain forced its way to the surface of his emotional being. Before long, he started to let his tears flow. He let them flow with no obstructions. He just let his heart torment him. He allowed it to happen. He was weak in the most crucial moment. He couldn't help her brother. He couldn't save him. He had lost all influence. He was powerless.

Soon, he hugged the person closest to him, the one he was leaning on. He just needed a hug, and she obliged.

The rock... was so... massive. It completely crushed his lower half. He couldn't move. The fear and pain in his face... was almost too much to bear. The blood... the blood was... everywhere. He couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Dan." Someone was calling him. He reached for the voice. "Dan, come to me."

He knew where the voice was. He followed it, but the blood and the eyes chased him. He couldn't get away. "Dan. Come. To. Me." The voice was bringing him back, but he was still being weighed down. "Dan. Look into my eyes." When he looked around, he found a pair of brown eyes that caught his attention. How or why, he didn't know. They just seemed... so familiar. "Dan. It's Linda. Stay with me. It will be okay. It's okay." These words... pierced his very soul, and started to drive the dark, heavy matter away from his inner core.

He sat staring for who knows how long, and realized he was staring at Linda. Linda... her-

"Dan! Don't go back! Stay with me! Listen to my voice, and stay. With. Me!"

Linda... The one who stayed with him, through thick and thin. His best friend. His...

"Linda... I'm sorry."

"Shhh, shhh, shhh... it's okay. It's okay. Don't worry." She pulled him in for a tight hug. "I'll be here for you. Don't worry."

Dan was speechless, as he always was when she "saved" him. He didn't know what to do, but, luckily, she always gave him hints. She whispered, "This is when you hug me back."

He smiled, hugged her back, and felt her cheeks tighten as she smiled, too.

As they sat in that concrete jungle, bonding, time seemed to stand still. Nothing moved, nothing happened, nothing... was, it was only... bliss. There was no pain or sadness in the world. Only the pure innocence of happiness.

"Linda... I..."

She pulled away, and looked deep into his eyes. "You what?"

"I..." What was he saying? "I... really... really... appreciate... all that you do. Uh, for me, that is."

She looked at him, as the emotion of disappointment ghosted across her face, and it was immediately replaced with joy. He wasn't even sure he saw it. "Weeell, it was nothin'. I just...hate to see you so down." She was smiling to herself while she faced the ground.

"Why do you do that?"

"What?" She looked back up at him with curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"Always smile at the ground. I don't think it can appreciate how beautiful it is."

What?

"What?" She looked just as caught off-guard as he did.

"I-i-i mean... i-it's just that... uhhh... mmmm... The ground... doesn't have eyes... so it... can't... see... you. Smile." He was trying to come up with something to say, but nothing was coming out.

"Uhhh..."

"Bu-but, people do have eyes... so, don't throw... swine before pearls. No! I mean pearls before... swine." He was a little embarrassed about his misquoted analogy.

She giggled, and said, "I got the message. You think I'm beautiful."

"No. A-I-i mean! Yes, you are beautiful, but..." He looked at her, and she was truly beautiful. Dan had never seen her so beautiful before. Why now? "Yes, I do think so."

"Iii think that you are very handsome," she said as she brushed his cheek.

"Linda... We've been friends our whole lives. And..." He paused.

"Yes?" She was anticipating what he was going to say.

"And... I think-"

"Heeey! Welcome back, Dan! Glad to see you're okay!" Warren had just interrupted a very important talk with very unfitting happy speech.

Dan and Linda sighed simultaneously, and said, "Hello, Warren."

Realizing his mistake, he seemed very awkward. "Soo, uhh... the circus is supposed to arrive in about thirty minutes. If I'm interrupting something, I can come back... orr..."

"No, it's fine. We need to get ready, anyways." Dan rose and helped the now strikingly beautiful Linda up. "Sorry about your hair," he whispered sneakily into her ear. "We don't know what kind of dangers lurk in the circus, so we need to prepare accordingly. We can't let anything catch us off-guard. Do you know where the other two are?"

"Yeah, they're at the Pokécenter already."

"Good, let's go prepare."


End file.
